Orange Natatorium reopens for summer fun

The City of Orange Natatorium as reopened for the summer after being closed in 2015 due to a shortage of lifeguards. The facility has hired nine lifeguards for the summer, including, from left to right, Justine Ledesma, Braylyn Hardy and Olivia Basinger, and will be open through Aug. 12.

Area residents looking to keep cool this summer can once again find some relief in downtown Orange.

The City of Orange has announced the reopening of the Orange City Natatorium to the public for its summer season. The pool reopened on Monday, June 6, and will be open to the public through Friday, Aug. 12.

The facility, located at 1405 W. Orange St. in Orange, is available for open swim to the public from 3 p.m. - 8 p.m., every Tuesday through Friday, and from 1 p.m. - 8 p.m., every Saturday and Sunday. Adult swim is from 6 a.m. - 8 a.m., Monday through Friday.

The reopening of the pool is good news for the City of Orange since the facility was closed in the summer of 2015 and left area residents searching elsewhere for some water recreation.

"Last year there wasn't enough lifeguards for the city to open the pool," said Tina Ledesma, manager of the Orange City Natatorium. "So, this year, the city screened and hired potential lifeguards and then paid for their certification training."

Ledesma, who worked her way through college as a waitress and a lifeguard, said the city has hired nine lifeguards, all of which were either graduating high school students or already enrolled in college.

"If we can keep the Natatorium open and offer things like swim lessons, then we can hopefully cultivate future lifeguards," she added.

The American Red Cross offers certified lifeguard training courses for those who are at least 15-years-old and have passed a pre-course swimming skills test. The course is a rigorous 25-hour program designed to teach perspective lifeguards all the skills needed for the certification, such as CPR, rescuing a swimmer, general swimming and water safety, and much more. The certification is valid for two-years from the date of issuance.

Admission for adult swim is $2 per day or $20 per month for residents of the City of Orange, or $4 per day or $40 per month for non-residents. Admission for open swim is $2 per person per day for Orange residents and $4 per person per day for non-residents.